Workplace Project Perth
Why organisations need a capable Workplace Project Manager
Most organisations take on a major workplace project once every seven to ten years. Everyone else at the table, the architect, the tenant rep, the fit out contractor, the cost consultant, the furniture dealer, does this continuously. That imbalance puts you, the occupier, in the weakest seat at exactly the moment the biggest decisions get made. Work Future exists to correct it.
We act as your client-side Workplace PM across Perth and WA. One experienced practitioner sitting on your side of the table, sharpening the brief, standing up the governance, appointing the right specialists in the right order, and controlling delivery from strategy through to go live. It turns your organisation into a sophisticated client, and every consultant on the project performs better for it. I have written in more detail about why organisations need a capable Workplace PM.
A workplace project is not a property project
An office is a building. A workplace is the combination of the building, the technology and, most critically, the people who use it. A workplace project can finish on time, land on budget and look magnificent in the photographs, and still fail because employees never bought into the change. That failure does not show up in the project report, but it shows up everywhere else for years afterwards.
That is why the role leading a workplace project cannot just be a construction fit out coordinator. It needs project management discipline to set the project up properly and control the delivery. It needs change management experience to understand this is a people project, and the skill to bring the people along. And it needs workplace expertise to interpret the data, avoid the bear traps and drive the workplace strategy, design and fit out. That blend, in one client-side role, is a capable Workplace PM.
What your Workplace PM does
We establish the project before momentum takes over: governance, roles, decision-making, budget discipline and the evidence gathering that stops the floorplan becoming the project. From there we help appoint the specialist team in the right sequence, lead the combined team of internal stakeholders and external consultants, control the program, budget and risks, and lead the organisation through the change all the way to go live. The designers get a brief worth designing against, the cost consultants get realistic options to test, and the builders price with fewer unknowns.
Some organisations pair us with someone from inside the business who knows the structure and has sway with senior stakeholders. That partnership works well, though we get across an organisation faster than most people expect. It is weeks, not months. On a full transformation we can run the lot as part of our workplace transformation service.
The first appointment tilts the whole project
Bring in the wrong capability first and the project leans in the wrong direction from day one. Design-led, and you jump to layouts before the business problem is understood. Property-led, and it becomes a story about square metres and lease events. Construction-led, and delivery takes over before the strategy has matured. HR-led, and the physical and technical complexity gets underplayed. None of these disciplines are wrong. All of them are needed. The hard part is the combination, the timing and who leads whom, and that is precisely what a capable Workplace PM is for.
Appoint early, or pay later
The right time to appoint a Workplace PM is early. Before the designer is fully briefed, before the business case is locked, and before the organisation has made promises to employees it may later struggle to keep. The cheapest time to fix a workplace project is while it is still on paper. Once the lease is signed, the design is developed and the employee story is public, every correction costs more, both financially and in reputation.
Why Work Future
You work directly with Peter Stansfield, Founder and MD of Work Future. He leads every engagement personally and has delivered workplace transformation projects for organisations from single sites to large multi-site portfolios.
Frequently asked questions
How is a Workplace PM different from a construction project manager?
A construction project manager is typically appointed to deliver the build. A Workplace PM sits on the client side and leads the whole project, including the strategy, the brief, the technology, the change management and the build. On most projects the Workplace PM helps appoint and then manages the construction project manager as part of the wider team.
What is a Workplace PM?
A Workplace PM is a client-side project manager who leads a workplace project on behalf of the occupier. The role blends project management discipline, change management experience and workplace expertise, so the brief, the governance, the specialists and the employee experience are managed together rather than in silos.
When should we appoint a Workplace PM?
Early. Before the designer is fully briefed, before the business case is locked, and before promises are made to employees. The cheapest time to fix a workplace project is while it is still on paper, and the first appointment you make tends to determine the success of every appointment after it.
Can a Workplace PM work alongside our internal team?
Yes, and it is common. Some organisations pair an external Workplace PM with someone from inside the business who knows the structure and has sway with senior stakeholders. That partnership works well, although an experienced Workplace PM gets across your organisation faster than most people expect. It is weeks, not months.
Do we still need the other consultants?
Yes. The designers, cost consultants, builders and technology specialists are all essential. A Workplace PM does not replace them; it makes them more effective by giving them a sharp brief, clear governance and a client that makes decisions. Good consultants prefer working with a capable client.
Do you only work in Perth?
Perth and Western Australia are home ground, but workplace projects run on the same discipline everywhere and we work with clients across Australia and overseas.
Start a conversation
If you have a workplace project on the horizon, or one already in motion that does not feel under control, the best time to talk is now, while the options are still open and still on paper.
Email hello@workfuture.com.au, call +61 0435 824 305, or use the contact form below.